[99] JORDAN, PHILIPPINES EXPEL IRAQI DIPLOMATS, BUT NOT LEBANON
[100] HUNGARY REJECTS U.S. REQUEST TO CLOSE IRAQI EMBASSY
[101] ROMANIA 'CONSIDERING' U.S. REQUEST TO CLOSE DOWN IRAQI EMBASSY
[102] BULGARIAN GOVERNMENT CONSIDERS U.S. REQUEST TO EXPEL IRAQI
[103] BULGARIA'S MUSLIM LEADER SAYS WAR ON IRAQ HAS NO RELIGIOUS BASIS
[104] CZECH PREMIER SAYS POSTWAR IRAQ SHOULD BE ADMINISTERED BY UN
[105] AFGHAN PRESIDENT POSTPONES TRIP TO PAKISTAN DUE TO IRAQ WAR
[106] AFGHAN PAPER SAYS CONTRADICTORY MESSAGES ON IRAQ NOT BENEFICIAL TO
[107] FIRST ANTIWAR DEMONSTRATIONS REPORTED IN AFGHANISTAN
[108] THREE AFGHAN PROVINCES PLACED ON HIGH ALERT DUE TO IRAQ WAR
[109] TALIBAN CALL THE WAR IN IRAQ A 'CRUSADE' AND EXPRESS SOLIDARITY
[110] UKRAINIAN OFFICERS ARRIVE IN KUWAIT TO PREPARE FOR NBC UNIT
[111] BOSNIAN ISLAMIC LEADERS SAY IRAQI CONFLICT IS NOT A RELIGIOUS ONE
[112] KOSOVARS DEMONSTRATE IN SUPPORT OF THE WAR
[113] PRIME MINISTER SAYS KOSOVA 'STANDS WITH THE FORCES OF FREEDOM'
[114] ALBANIAN PRIME MINISTER IS 'PROUD TO STAND WITH THE U.S.
[115] U.S. TAKES SIX INTO CUSTODY IN KANDAHAR OPERATION
[116] SIX DEAD IN U.S. CHOPPER CRASH IN AFGHANISTAN
[117] THE PITFALLS OF BELARUS'S ECONOMIC INTEGRATION WITH RUSSIA
24 March 2003
NOTE TO READERS:&nbsp;RFE/RL has launched a new website providing
breaking news and in-depth analysis on the situation in Iraq. Place a
bookmark at: http://rferl.org/specials/iraqcrisis
RUSSIA

Russia's Ambassador to the United States Yurii Ushakov was summoned on
24 March to the U.S. State Department to receive an official protest
alleging that Russia allowed illegal transfers of military equipment to
Iraq in violation of UN-imposed economic sanctions, Russian and Western
media reported. According to the reports, the equipment in question
includes night-vision goggles, antitank rockets, and electronic jamming
equipment. The U.S. protest specifically accused the Russian company
Aviakonversiya of involvement. Aviakonversiya General Director Oleg
Antonov admitted that Iraq had requested such equipment from his
company, but denied that it had been supplied, Ekho Moskvy reported on
24 March. He also told the radio station that his company has always
strictly complied with the sanctions against Iraq, but he added that it
is possible Iraq produced such equipment independently or with the help
of individuals or firms in the former Yugoslavia. VY

The Foreign Ministry on 22 March handed U.S. Ambassador to Russia
Alexander Vershbow an official note of protest over alleged
reconnaissance flights by U.S. U-2 aircraft near the borders of the
Russian Federation, newsru.com reported on 24 March. The ministry
alleges that the flights are originating in Georgia and, according to
the Russian note, "can hardly serve the interests of the fight against
international terrorism." They "are reminiscent of the Cold War," the
note charges. VY

The local stations of Russian military intelligence (GRU) and the
Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) in Iraq have been on special alert
status since the onset of the U.S.-led military operation against the
regime of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, "Nezavisimaya gazeta"
reported on 21 March. They have been issuing bulletins to Russia's
political leadership on a constant, rolling basis, according to the
report. Russia's intelligence agencies have also activated their
resources globally in order to monitor the military operation, the
international situation, and U.S. and British plans for post-Hussein
Iraq. TVS on 20 Marsh quoted Igor Morozov, a former Soviet
foreign-intelligence officer in Baghdad during the 1980s, as saying
that Russia has very powerful intelligence assets in Iraq, including
within its military commands, its political leadership, and its
security services. VY

Igor Ivanov said on 21 March that the U.S. decision to confiscate the
assets of Iraqi President Hussein's regime is extremely worrying,
Russian media reported. Ivanov was speaking in Moscow to a session of
the Council for Defense and Foreign Policy. "It could mean that after
this is done, it will be announced that all previous treaties and
contracts with Iraq are invalid, and we will lose our economic
interests in the country," Ivanov said. He also expressed related
concerns over Washington's efforts to persuade foreign countries to
expel Iraqi diplomats. Ivanov also called for restoring the United
Nations' leading role in international affairs and repeated Moscow's
call for expanding the UN Security Council to include India and one new
permanent member each from Latin America, Africa, and Asia. VY

The Duma on 21 March adopted a nonbinding resolution calling on
President Vladimir Putin to adopt "urgent measures to strengthen
[Russia's] national defense and to modernize the Russian armed forces,"
nns.ru reported. Deputies also called for increased defense spending.
Commenting on the resolution, Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman
Dmitrii Rogozin (People's Deputy) said that the Duma considers the
U.S.-led military operation against Iraq "aggression" and believes that
it is crucial to return the crisis to a diplomatic track. Russia must
also attend to its possible role in postwar Iraq. For Russia, the most
important thing is that the postwar administration and reconstruction
of Iraq must be conducted exclusively under the aegis of the United
Nations, Rogozin said. VY

A group of unknown people fired shots in the vicinity of the Russian
Embassy in Baghdad on 23 March, and Iraqi security guards returned
fire, ITAR-TASS reported. An embassy spokesman said that none of the 25
people remaining at the embassy was injured. The Foreign Ministry in
Moscow later issued a statement saying that embassy guards opened fire
on a group of people who were trying to loot a nearby building. VY

More than 2,000 people led by the pro-Kremlin youth movement Walking
Together held a rally on 22 March in front of the Moscow residence of
U.S. Ambassador to Russia Vershbow against U.S.-led military action
against the regime of Iraqi President Hussein, Interfax reported. The
activists brought cans of oil so that "Americans won't be freezing in
their homes" and "cars won't be abandoned on the streets of New York
because of empty gas tanks," movement leader Vasilii Yakemenko
explained, according to the news agency. Other antiwar rallies were
held in front of the U.S. Embassy on 20 and 21 March. On 20 March, a
small protest was held outside the U.S. Consulate in Yekaterinburg. On
21 March, an unspecified number of members of Unified Russia's youth
movement held a protest outside the U.S. Consulate in St. Petersburg,
regions.ru reported. In Nizhnii Novgorod on 23 March, around 50 people
-- most of them members of an antiglobalist youth group and a Communist
youth movement -- protested in front of a McDonald's restaurant in one
of the city's main squares, "Kommersant-Daily" reported. JAC

At least 8,000 men in Daghestan have volunteered to go to Iraq to fight
on the side of President Hussein, "Izvestiya" on 19 March quoted Duma
Deputy and People's Front of Daghestan Chairman Gadzhi Makhachev as
saying. Makhachev added that most of the volunteers in question are
aged between 20-40 and are either veterans of the war in Afghanistan or
fought in 1998 to repel the Chechen incursion into Daghestan. He said
the men will be issued with weapons if they make arrangements to travel
to Iraq "unofficially." LF

After three failed attempts and three hours of discussion, State Duma
deputies on 21 March approved in its second reading a bill on the
fundamentals of federal housing policy, Interfax and RosBalt reported.
The vote was 227 in favor, just one more than required. Thirty-five
deputies voted against the bill, according to RosBalt. The bill would
establish the method and conditions for providing subsidies for housing
and communal services for needy citizens. Under the bill, according to
RosBalt, the majority of subsidies are preserved. However, the
Federation of Independent Trade Unions called upon legislators to
reject the bill, arguing that it would worsen the lives of a
significant portion of the population. Yabloko, which led a campaign
against the bill in 57 regions, argued that if adopted, the legislation
would lead to "an aggravation of the crisis in the housing sector and
to a widening of the zone of social catastrophe in the regions." JAC

Also on 21 March, deputies approved the law on energy conservation,
which had earlier been rejected by the Federation Council and was
revised by a conciliation commission, RosBalt reported. The vote was
257 in favor, with 121 against and two abstentions. According to
Interfax, the law now consists only of two lines: "Regional energy
commissions are replaced by executive bodies of power of the Russian
Federation constituent territories. The relevant amendments are made to
the federal law on energy supply." JAC

Legislators on 21 March also passed a presidential bill that amends
several laws regulating media coverage of elections, Russian media
reported. The bill passed with 245 votes in favor and 160 against,
"Kommersant-Daily" reported on 24 March. Central Election Commission
Chairman Aleksandr Veshnyakov spoke in favor of the bill, which
Yabloko, the Union of Rightist Forces, and the Communist factions
opposed. The bill has been harshly criticized by media advocates and
others who fear that the media will be afraid to offer even unbiased
commentary on elections lest they are accused of covert campaigning
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," 19 March 2003). JAC

The Audit Chamber alleged on 21 March that customs officials in the
Northwest Federal District illegally classified imported goods as
humanitarian aid throughout 2002 and in early 2003 to allow importers
to pay a reduced customs duty, ITAR-TASS reported. According to the
agency, auditors found that the classifications were made with the
approval of the St. Petersburg city administration. The resulting loss
to the federal budget was some 2.7 million rubles ($86,000). Last
month, the Audit Chamber found that some 521.4 million rubles ($16.39
million) of federal funds were not used for their designated purpose of
preparing for the city's 300th anniversary (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 11
February 2003). JAC

Leningrad Oblast legislator Damir Shadaev has accused presidential
administration head Aleksandr Voloshin of putting pressure on the
oblast parliament to select a candidate that the Kremlin favors to
serve as its representative in the Federation Council,
"Kommersant-Daily" reported on 24 March. The previous representative,
Valerii Golubev, resigned recently to take a job with Gazprom (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 21 February 2003). The oblast legislature is
expected to take up the issue on 25 March, and the current top
candidates for the post are Rashid Ismagilov, head of the oblast's
Chamber of Trade and Industry, and Vladimir Churov, a representative of
the St. Petersburg city administration who was a colleague of President
Putin when Putin worked in the St. Petersburg mayoral administration.
Golubev also once worked with Putin, according to the daily. JAC

Representatives of opposition groups in Bashkortostan told reporters in
Moscow on 20 March that the 16 March parliamentary elections in that
republic should be invalidated, RIA-Novosti reported. Azat Akberdin,
chairman of the Davlekanovo branch of the People's Patriotic Union,
said "the election system in the republic was twisted from the start,
and intense pressure was exerted on candidates." Bashtransgaz General
Director Aleksandr Veremeenko, an independent candidate, showed video
footage that he claimed showed evidence of vote rigging. According to
"Vedomosti" on 18 March, Veremeenko is a brother of Mezhprombank
Chairman Sergei Veremeenko. The daily cited an unnamed political
analyst close to Mezhprombank who said the bank promoted several
candidates to promote "the interests of the bank, which is seeking [in
the course of future privatization] to obtain control over the Bashkir
fuel-and-energy sector and [to] oppose [Bashkortostan President
Murtaza] Rakhimov." According to an RFE/RL correspondent in Ufa on 18
March, during the vote some 600 ballots already marked for a specific
candidate were withdrawn after a resident tried to stuff them into a
ballot box. JAC

In a joint statement dated 22 March and posted on chechenpress.com,
Chechen President Aslan Maskhadov, acting parliament speaker Dardail
Khiryaev, and Supreme Court Chairman Abdul-Khalim condemned as sabotage
of the constitutional order and security of the Chechen state what they
termed the "pseudo-referendum" organized by the Russian political and
military leadership and the pro-Moscow Grozny leadership. They argued
that holding the referendum, especially while hostilities continue, is
illegal and constitutes a violation of the Chechen constitution and a
"grave crime" against the Chechen people. The statement characterizes
Chechen citizens' participation in the referendum as an action directed
against constitutional order and calls on prosecutors and the Supreme
Court of the Chechen Republic Ichkeria to bring criminal charges
against those who do so. Some 400 people attended a demonstration in
Grozny on 22 March to protest the referendum scheduled for the
following day, RFE/RL's North Caucasus Service reported. LF

Despite President Maskhadov's earlier calls for a boycott of the
referendum, voter turnout on 23 March reached 85 percent, Chechen
Central Election Commission Chairman Abdul-Kerim Arsakhanov told
ITAR-TASS on 24 March. That figure included more than 5,500 voters who
cast their ballots at two polling stations set up in displaced persons'
camps in Ingushetia and a further 1,200 displaced persons who came from
Daghestan to vote in eastern Chechnya. With ballot papers from some 52
percent of the 416 polling stations counted, between 95 and 97 percent
of voters approved the new draft constitution and the draft laws on
presidential and parliamentary elections, Arsakhanov said on 24 March.
Chechen deputy administration head Taus Dzhabrailov told ITAR-TASS on
23 March that the 40-odd international observers who monitored the vote
did not make any formal complaints about procedural violations. LF

Speaking in Moscow on 24 March, President Putin characterized the
referendum outcome as "positive," adding that "the figures have even
surpassed our most optimistic expectations," RFE/RL's Russian Service
reported. Akhmed-hadji Kadyrov told ITAR-TASS on 24 March that the
referendum has demonstrated that "the people of Chechnya have said
'yes' to its new constitution, which clearly defines the status of our
republic as an inalienable part of the Russian Federation." Kadyrov
also claimed that the vote has stripped Maskhadov of the "moral right"
to call himself Chechen president." LF

"RFE/RL Newsline" on 26 February and 13 March 2003 incorrectly
identified the current head of Alyans Group as Ziya Bazhaev. His name
is in fact Musa Bazhaev. Ziya Bazhaev was the former head of Alyans
Group and brother of Musa. Ziya Bazhaev died in a plane crash in March
2000.

Despite the deployment of police to block roads leading to the capital,
several thousand people participated in a rally in Yerevan on 21 March
to protest the perceived falsification of the outcome of the recent
presidential election and show their support for defeated runoff
candidate Stepan Demirchian, RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau reported. The
demonstrators then marched to the main police station to protest the
ongoing arrests of opposition supporters. Opposition leaders said on 21
March that more than 30 people have been detained since 17 March for
participating in unauthorized pro-Demirchian rallies, and a Yerevan
court judge told RFE/RL that at least 10 have been fined and jailed. At
least another 30, and possibly as many as 45 people, were detained
during the night of 21-22 March for their participation in the 21 March
demonstration, opposition leaders told RFE/RL on 22 March. One woman
brought before a Yerevan court told RFE/RL she was fined 1,500 drams
($2.50) after being pressured into signing a false confession. An
elderly man said he was apprehended by police simply for walking though
the demonstrators en route to a nearby cafe. LF

Ahmet Necdet Sezer has written to Armenian President Robert Kocharian
on the occasion of the latter's re-election to his second presidential
term, Mediamax and RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau reported on 21 March. Sezer
expressed the hope that "during your second term in office our region,
with your participation, will be able to take steady steps toward
lasting peace, stability, and cooperation." LF

Armenia is not currently considering complying with a U.S. State
Department request to those states that maintain diplomatic relations
with Iraq to suspend those ties, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Dziunik
Aghadjanian said on 21 March, according to Arminfo, as cited by Groong.
Also on 21 March, former Armenian Ambassador David Hovhannisian again
warned that the war in Iraq will have "a serious and fateful impact" on
Armenia and the entire South Caucasus, according to Mediamax, as cited
by Groong. Hovhannisian predicted that Turkey's role in the region will
expand as a result of its membership in the anti-Iraq "coalition of the
willing" and that its resulting enhanced support for Azerbaijan could
hinder a solution to the Karabakh conflict (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 28
January 2003). LF

Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister issued a statement on 21 March expressing
Azerbaijan's "deep concern" over developments in Iraq and calling on
Baghdad "to fully meet the requirements" of UN Security Council
resolutions 678, 687, and 1441, Interfax and ITAR-TASS reported. The
statement further expressed support for international efforts to
resolve the crisis and urged "strict observance of international law"
during military operations. Interfax on 21 March also quoted
Azerbaijani Defense Minister Colonel General Safar Abiev as saying on
21 March that the United States has asked Azerbaijan for unspecified
assistance in connection with the war in Iraq. Abiev said Azerbaijan
might make its airspace available but will not send troops. He said it
is too early to say whether Azerbaijani forces might participate in
peacekeeping operations in Iraq. In his Norouz address in Baku on 21
March, Azerbaijani President Heidar Aliev did not mention Iraq,
according to Azerbaijani State Television Channel One, as cited by
Groong. LF

Residents of Georgia's predominantly Azerbaijani-populated Marneuli
Raion told Caucasus Press on 22 March that as Muslims they support the
people of Iraq and are moved "to tears" by the bombing of Baghdad and
other cities. But they stressed that they will not protest the Georgian
government's support of the U.S. military action in Iraq. LF

Some 40-50 former members of the Georgian National Guard occupied a
military base near Tbilisi late on 23 March, seizing arms and military
equipment, Caucasus Press reported. The men said they were acting to
protest anticipated reprisals against them on the part of the Georgian
authorities. Regular army troops backed by heavy weaponry surrounded
the base, and senior government officials and former Defense Minister
Gia Karkarashvili held talks with the veterans and eventually persuaded
them to surrender early on 24 March. Eighteen of them were arrested and
could face prison sentences of up to four years. Georgian Defense
Minister Lieutenant General David Tevzadze told journalists in Tbilisi
on 24 March that his ministry had advance warning that the men were
planning to occupy the base. Prosecutor-General Nugzar Gabrichidze
claimed the men are in contact with former Georgian National Guard
Commander and Defense Minister Tengiz Kitovani, who currently lives in
Moscow. LF

Deputies voted at a special session of parliament on 21 March by 138 in
favor with one vote against to ratify the military cooperation
agreement with the United States signed in December 2002, Caucasus
Press reported. The agreement exempts U.S. military personnel from visa
requirements and grants them privileges and immunities comparable to
those extended to U.S. diplomats. Parliament speaker Nino Burdjanadze
expressed reservations that the agreement had been drafted and signed
without parliament being consulted and warned that it might prove
necessary in the future to amend it. Parliament failed to ratify the
agreement in a vote in late February (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 28
February and 4 March 2003). LF

[26] GEORGIAN NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL SECRETARY MEETS WITH RUSSIAN
PRESIDENT

Tedo Djaparidze met in Moscow on 21 March with Russian President
Vladimir Putin to discuss the role of the Russian and Georgian security
councils in implementing the agreements reached in Sochi on 6-7 March
by Putin and his Georgian counterpart Eduard Shevardnadze on resolving
the Abkhaz conflict, Caucasus Press reported (see "RFE/RL Caucasus
Report," 13 March 2003). Also on 21 March, Georgian Minister for
Special Assignments Malkhaz Kakabadze met with UN Special Envoy Heidi
Tagliavini to discuss the situation in Abkhazia, Caucasus Press
reported. LF

In a statement dated 18 March but made public only on 21 March,
Kazakhstan's Foreign Ministry said that responsibility for the war in
Iraq lies with Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, in that he failed to
provide proof of disarmament, Interfax and khabar.kz reported. The
statement also blamed Hussein for the split that has emerged within the
international community. It expressed profound regret that a solution
to the Iraq crisis could not be found within the framework of the UN
and commented that that failure raises the question of whether the UN
should be reformed. The statement also expressed regret at the human
casualties reported since the onset of hostilities. Deputy Foreign
Minister Alikhan Smailov, who read the statement to journalists in
Astana, declined to answer any questions on it, Interfax reported. LF

Kazakhstan's Presidential Commission on Human Rights has received a new
statute expanding its role, Interfax-Kazakhstan reported on 21 March.
According to the report, the main tasks of the commission will now be
to improve the guarantees of human rights inside the country, to
develop policy on human rights, and to strengthen Kazakhstan's role in
human rights on the international scene. The main task of the original
human rights commission, which was formed in 1998 (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 6 February 1998), was to assess the human rights situation
in Kazakhstan and to report its findings to the president. Human rights
activists were scornful of the commission because of its limited
mandate. Senator Zhabaikhan Abdildin, the chairman of the Senate
Foreign Affairs Committee who has headed the human rights commission
since it was formed, will continue in that post. According to the
report, Foreign Minister Qasymzhomart Toqaev will have overall
responsibility for the commission, which will include government
officials, religious and other public figures, and members of the
Prosecutor-General's Office, the military court, and the media. The
report did not say whether representatives of independent human rights
organizations will be invited to take part. BB

Kazakhstan's Justice Ministry has reregistered the Kazakh Communist
Party, party leader Serikbolsyn Abdildin announced at a press
conference on 21 March, according to Interfax-Kazakhstan. The
reregistration procedure, required of all political parties in
Kazakhstan under a controversial 2002 law adopted, was "difficult" for
the Communists, according to Abdildin. He had earlier attributed the
difficulty to questions about the number of party members (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 17 March 2002). According to the new law, political parties
must prove they have at least 50,000 members in order to be registered.
The Communists are the fourth party to complete the reregistration
procedure. The pro-government Otan Party, the Aq Zhol Party, and the
Civic Party have also been reregistered. BB

[30] KYRGYZSTAN TO REDUCE NUMBER OF FOREIGN EXPERTS WORKING ON
DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS

Kyrgyz Deputy Prime Minister Djoomart Otorbaev has told international
donor agencies working on development projects in Kyrgyzstan that the
number of foreign experts working on such projects will be reduced,
Interfax reported on 21 March. The intention, the official was quoted
as saying, is to develop Kyrgyzstan's potential to manage international
projects itself. Reducing the number of foreign consultants will also
save some of the money that would have been spent on their salaries, he
added. BB

Tajikistan's Foreign Ministry issued a statement on 21 March expressing
concern at the onset of the U.S.-led military operation in Iraq,
ITAR-TASS reported. The ministry expressed the hope that civilian
casualties and the destruction of nonmilitary infrastructure will be
kept to a minimum. LF

Speaking to journalists in Tashkent on 21 March following a celebration
to mark the spring holiday of Norouz, Islam Karimov characterized the
Iraq crisis as "the consequence of [Iraqi President] Saddam Hussein's
reckless policy of conquest," Interfax reported. "In the case of Iraq,
we ought to remember the lessons history has taught," he said, adding
that Hussein must be disarmed in full to preclude a possible future
crisis. Karimov said that Uzbekistan "is not taking sides" over Iraq,
but is acting in accordance with its own interests, according to
uzreport.com. Although he did not explicitly mention Iraq in his Norouz
address, Karimov nonetheless stressed the need for "vigilance" and for
swift action to counter international terrorism and any forces prepared
to resort to the use of weapons of mass destruction. He also noted the
U.S. contribution to removing the threat posed to Uzbekistan's security
by the "evil forces on our southern border," meaning the Taliban regime
in neighboring Afghanistan. LF

President Alyaksandr Lukashenka on 21 March appointed Syarhey Martynau
as Belarus's foreign minister, Belapan reported. Prior to the
appointment, Martynau served as Belarus's ambassador to Belgium, the
Netherlands, and Luxembourg, and as resident representative to the EU
and NATO. Martynau's predecessor, Mikhail Khvastou, was appointed
ambassador to the United States and Mexico. The decision is aimed at
strengthening the "western vector" of Belarusian foreign policy,
Lukashenka said on 21 March. "We cannot build relations with the U.S.
on a confrontation basis," he added. Lukashenka noted that the decision
to appoint Khvastou, whom he called "one of the best Belarusian
diplomats," as ambassador to the United States is evidence of Belarus's
readiness to step up cooperation with this country and will be
conducive to the expansion of bilateral relations. AM

A district court in Zhlobin, Homel Oblast, decided on 21 March to
release Pavel Mazheyka on parole (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 28 February
and 5 March 2003), Belapan reported. The same day, Mazheyka left the
"open-type corrective" facility where he had been held and took a train
to Hrodna. The court's decision does not annul Mazheyka's sentence. He
has to register with the criminal administration inspectorate in Hrodna
and may be returned to a corrective facility by court decision for two
or more minor civil offenses committed within the five months and eight
days remaining until the end of his term. Under law, prisoners may be
released on parole after serving half of their term. AM

A group of 15 Ukrainian officers arrived in Kuwait on 22 March to
prepare the deployment of a Ukrainian anti-nuclear, -biological, and
-chemical (NBC) battalion, ITAR-TASS reported. The officers will
identify measures to be taken to ensure the safety of Kuwaitis and to
gather information about the sanitary and epidemiological situation in
the area, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry told the news agency. The NBC
battalion comprising 432 servicemen will be sent to Kuwait this week.
The battalion will stay in Kuwait for at least six months in accordance
with an agreement between the two countries. It will not participate in
combat actions and will only provide humanitarian aid. AM

The third congress of the Industrialists and Entrepreneurs Party of
Ukraine on 22 March unanimously re-elected former Ukrainian Premier
Anatoliy Kinakh as its leader, Interfax reported. Kinakh was the only
candidate for the post. The congress also adopted a resolution that
reads that the main goals of the party are its development as a
nationwide movement, protection of national economic and political
interests, achievement of worthy and equal integration of Ukraine into
the global community, creation of favorable terms for industrial and
entrepreneurial activity, the protection of the rights of owners and
investors, and transparent market competition. AM

In coalition formation talks on 21 March, representatives of Res
Publica, the Reform Party, and the People's Union agreed that the
income tax should be reduced in stages in 2004-06, BNS reported. The
income-tax rate would be lowered from the current 26 percent to 24
percent in 2004; to 22 percent in 2005; and to 20 percent in 2006. The
tax-free minimum income would be increased from the current 1,000
kroons ($67.50) to 1,400 kroons in 2004; 1,700 kroons in 2005; and
2,000 kroons in 2006. These proposed tax reductions still have to be
approved by the boards of the three parties. Reform Party Deputy
Chairman Meelis Atonen also said the so-called maternity allowance
would be paid for 360 days instead of the current 140 days, beginning
in 2004. SG

EU Enlargement Commissioner Guenter Verheugen assured Einars Repse in
Brussels on 21 March that the European Commission will discuss with
Russia the issue of oil transit through the port of Ventspils, LETA
reported. The Russian state-owned oil-pipeline operator Transneft
halted all oil shipments to the port in the first quarter of the year
and, according to Interfax on 21 March, will decide on 25 March not to
send any oil to Ventspils in the second quarter. Verheugen expressed
satisfaction with Latvia's preparation for EU membership and said he
sees no reason why the accession agreement with EU should not be signed
on 14 April. He particularly praised the progress Latvia is making in
fighting corruption. The officials also discussed the Iraq war. SG

In Kaunas on 22 March, a congress of the Liberal Union approved by a
vote of 363 to zero with 14 abstentions the party's merger with the
Center Union and the Modern Christian Democratic Union, "Kauno diena"
reported on 24 March. The three parties formed a joint 25-member
faction in parliament earlier this month (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 6
March 2003) and will hold a merger congress on 21 May. By a vote of 300
to 79 with eight invalid ballots, the congress chose Vilnius Mayor
Arturas Zuokas over parliament deputy Rimvydas Vastakas as its
candidate to head the new party. Former President Valdas Adamkus told
the congress that up to now only leftist parties had succeeded in
strengthening their power by uniting and that Lithuania needs a new
strong right-of-center political party that he hopes this merger will
provide. SG

[40] POLISH PRESIDENT SAYS EARLY PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS ARE
POSSIBLE...

President Aleksander Kwasniewski said on 22 March that even without the
Peasant Party, the government has a chance to last its full term, but
that early parliamentary elections are also possible, the
"Rzeczpospolita" daily reported. Kwasniewski said that June 2004, the
date of the European Parliament elections, would a good time to hold
such elections. Parliamentary elections in Poland are scheduled for the
spring of 2005. Kwasniewski also added that the "first-past-the-post"
electoral system is a good model for future Polish democracy. AM

President Kwasniewski announced on 22 March that he will not accept the
annual report of the National Radio and Television Broadcasting Council
[KRRiT] (see "RFE/RL Poland, Belarus, and Ukraine Report," 11 March
2003), the daily "Rzeczpospolita" reported. "It is inevitable" that
Robert Kwiatkowski will resign from his post as a chairman of Polish
public television, according to Kwasniewski. "It is necessary to free
the public media from political influence. Everyone should understand
that that this is in their interest," the president added. It is
generally believed that beginning in 1997, the KRRiT -- and,
consequently, Polish public television and radio -- have been dominated
by people associated with the Democratic Left Alliance and the Peasant
Party. AM

The joint Czech-Slovak anti-nuclear, -biological, and -chemical (NBC)
unit stationed in Kuwait has been the target of repeated missile
attacks launched by Iraqi forces, unit commander General Dusan Lupuljev
was cited as saying by CTK and TASR on 21 March. Lupuljev said a total
of six such attacks have been launched on the unit and that all were
foiled by the U.S. Patriot antimissile system. There have been no
attacks reported after that date. Czech Defense Minister Jaroslav
Tvrdik told journalists on 22 March that the mood among the joint
unit's members is good and they are continuing their mission and
patrolling in Kuwait. President Vaclav Klaus spoke to Lupuljev by
telephone on 21 March and told him not to hesitate to call him
directly. MS

Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla told journalists in Brussels on 21 March
that the main role in Iraq's postwar reconstruction should be played by
the United Nations, CTK reported. Spidla was attending a summit of
leaders from EU members and candidates that dealt, among other things,
with the Iraq crisis. Iraq "cannot be placed under the rule of any one
power or minor coalition," he said. Spidla also said the Czech Republic
has not in any way responded to the U.S. call to close down Iraqi
diplomatic offices. "The Czech Republic is independent in this matter
and will make its own independent decision," CTK quoted him as saying.
MS

Several hundred antiwar demonstrators on 22 March listened in Prague's
Wenceslas Square to speeches by Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia
(KSCM) Chairman Miroslav Grebenicek and other communist leaders who
demanded that President Klaus dismiss Foreign Minister Cyril Svoboda
for his support of the U.S.-led coalition in the war in Iraq, CTK
reported. Antiwar activists held a smaller protest on the same square
on 21 March. MS

The north Bohemian branch of the main ruling Social Democratic Party
(CSSD) on 22 March called on Interior Minister Stanislav Gross to run
for the post of CSSD chairman at the party's 28-30 March national
conference, CTK reported. Gross, who is one of the most popular CSSD
leaders, told the daily "Pravo" on 22 March that he is ready to "assume
the position if the Social Democrats are of the opinion that this would
be the best solution for the party," according to CTK. CSSD Deputy
Chairwoman Marie Souckova told TV Nova on 21 March that she does not
rule out the possibility of running for the position. Premier Spidla is
the only CSSD leader who has officially announced his candidacy for the
post. MS

The KSCM on 22 March recommended to its supporters to vote against the
Czech Republic's accession to the EU in the referendum scheduled to
take place in June, CTK reported. KSCM Chairman Grebenicek told
journalists that the KSCM is not opposed to EU membership in a
longer-term perspective, but that the party opposes EU membership now
because of the poorly negotiated accession conditions to which the
government agreed. He also said the Czech Republic is not sufficiently
prepared for EU membership and that the EU itself is undergoing
transformations, the outcome of which nobody can predict. Foreign
Ministry spokesman Vit Kolar responded that the KSCM wishes to
"transform the Czech Republic into an isolated island, similar to Fidel
Castro's Cuba." MS

Olomouc regional Commissioner Jan Brezina on 23 March warned the
citizens of the northern Moravian town that there is a genuine danger
that an anonymous blackmailer will carry out his threat to detonate
explosives in the densely populated area, CTK reported. The agency said
on 24 March that police are patrolling streets and that hospitals were
placed on alert. The daily "Mlada fronta Dnes," citing "well-informed
police sources," reported on 21 March that Czech police fulfilled the
blackmailer's demand for 10 million crowns ($334,314) to prevent him
from carrying out repeated threats to blow up rail bridges, CTK
reported. The sources said the money was dropped on 20 March from a
helicopter at 25 different places in central Moravia in plastic bags
containing 400,000 crowns each, as demanded by the blackmailer.
However, CTK reported later the same day that the money was not picked
up. After the threats began, police found and neutralized an explosive
device on a railway bridge near Olomouc, northern Moravia. TV Nova said
on 19 March that investigators believe former communist-era
intelligence (StB) agents could be behind the blackmail. MS

Prime Minister Mikulas Dzurinda said in Brussels at the end of an EU
summit of leaders of EU members and candidate countries that it is
important to maintain a strong Trans-Atlantic bond despite differences
of opinion regarding the resolution of the Iraq crisis, CTK and TASR
reported. Dzurinda welcomed the fact that the summit agreed that the EU
wants to preserve Iraq's territorial integrity and extend humanitarian
aid toward its reconstruction, as well as to strengthen the EU's
foreign-policy coordination and joint defense capabilities. He
emphasized, however, that these aims must be complementary and should
not come at the expense of Trans-Atlantic cooperation. Dzurinda said he
is not worried about the different views on the Iraq crisis expressed
at the summit. "Europe is slowly getting used to the fact that there
are more of us now, and that our views differ," he stressed. He also
said Slovakia is ready to participate in extending humanitarian aid to
the Iraqi people. MS

Slovak police, who are on alert following the outbreak of hostilities
in Iraq, on 22 March detained four illegal immigrants near the
strategic Gabcikovo Dam in the vicinity of the Slovak-Hungarian border,
CTK and TASR reported. No weapons or explosives were found on the
immigrants, who are apparently Iranians and who admitted to having
illegally crossed the border from Hungary. They requested political
asylum. MS

The Kosice Regional Court on 21 March dismissed the complaint launched
by a Romany woman from Gelnica, eastern Slovakia, against doctors at
the Kosice hospital for having allegedly sterilized her without her
consent, CTK reported. The court thus upheld the ruling of a lower
court in the Spisska Nova Ves district in 2002. The Kosice court said
the woman, Monika Bikarova, failed to prove that her infertility was
induced by sterilization induced by an operation at the Kosice hospital
in 1986 following the birth of her second child. A Slovak commission is
investigating complaints that Romany women underwent sterilization
without their consent or without being aware of the content of the
papers they were signing. Health Minister Rudolf Zajac recently said
the commission has found no proof of the allegations, although in one
or two cases "doctors' error" might have led to the sterilization on
Romany girls under the age of 18 (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 30 and 31
January, 14 and 21 February, and 4 and 14 March 2003). MS

Hungary has rejected a Washington request that it shut down the Iraqi
Embassy in Budapest, Foreign Minister Laszlo Kovacs told Hungarian
television on 22 March. Kovacs said he sees no reason to expel Iraqi
diplomats from Hungary, noting that such a move would terminate
diplomatic relations with Iraq. Hungary is not at war with Iraq and is
not participating in military operations aimed at implementing UN
resolutions relating to Iraq, Kovacs quoted a ministry statement as
saying. He said it is in Hungary's interest to forge close relations
with a new Iraqi leadership that has no weapons of mass destruction and
that will embark on a path to democracy and economic progress. Kovacs
also recalled Hungary's expulsion last week of two Iraqi diplomats for
allegedly engaging in activities incompatible with their diplomatic
status. MSZ

Andras Toth, state secretary responsible for Hungary's secret services,
and Laszlo Kover (FIDESZ), the chairman of parliament's National
Security Committee, told reporters after a committee meeting on 21
March that the danger of terrorism directed at Hungary has not
increased in any way and the military campaign against Iraq has not
altered the country's security situation, Budapest dailies reported the
next day. Toth would neither confirm nor deny a "Magyar Nemzet" report
that the National Security Professional Service, an office which is
part of Hungary's Secret Services, is bugging and taping telephone and
Internet correspondence in connection with the war on Iraq and
Hungary's role in the war. The newspaper reported that listening
devices that Hungary has allegedly procured from Israel and France are
capable of recording 100 mobile-phone conversations simultaneously. MSZ

Former Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on TV2 television on 21 March
that no one has said why Hungarians are among the coalition allies in
the war on Iraq. The fact that "we are always siding with the U.S."
because Hungary is a NATO member reflects "Soviet logic," Orban said.
Foreign Minister Laszlo Kovacs questioned Orban's political credibility
if the latter does not understand the danger that Iraqi President
Saddam Hussein's alleged weapons of mass destruction present to the
world, "Nepszabadsag" reported. MSZ

Istvan Csurka, chairman of the far-right Hungarian Justice and Life
Party (MIEP), called for a boycott of U.S. and Israeli products at a
rally in Sopron on 22 March, the MTI news agency reported. MIEP will
not buy goods from those two countries "until the number-one
masterminds and profiteers of the war end the unjust war and atone for
their crimes," Csurka said. He said what is happening in Iraq is not a
war but a manhunt. One day earlier, Csurka, whose party opposes
Hungary's EU accession, proposed that entry into that bloc be
postponed, arguing that "the turmoil of an ongoing war" is not an
opportune moment for such a crucial change, the agency reported.
Meanwhile, opponents of Hungary's entry to the EU held a conference in
Budapest on 23 March titled "EU Expansion 2004 -- the Underhanded
Methods of Colonization," Hungarian media reported. Speakers at the
conference said it is practically impossible within EU frameworks to
safeguard independence, sovereignty, and political freedom. MSZ

With a turnout of just under 60 percent of eligible voters, Slovenes
cast their ballots in a binding referendum on 23 March in favor of
membership of both the EU and NATO, local and international media
reported (see "RFE/RL Balkan Report," 28 February 2003). The vote was
about 90 percent in favor of EU membership and roughly 66 percent in
support of joining NATO. Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel said the vote
marked the end of Slovenia's era of postcommunist transition and
demonstrated the political maturity of Slovenian voters. Observers note
that the outcome of the EU proposition was never in doubt. Many
Slovenes, however, expressed fear that NATO membership is unnecessary
in practical terms and will prove too expensive for the country of
about 2 million inhabitants. Other Slovenes argued that NATO membership
is an integral part of Euro-Atlantic integration and that the recent
killing of Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic shows that
Southeastern Europe remains unstable. Opposition to the war in Iraq,
which is widespread in Slovenia, does not appear to have decisively
influenced the referendum on joining NATO. PM

NATO Secretary-General Lord George Robertson said he welcomes "the vote
of confidence Slovenians have given NATO, and also their willingness to
accept the obligations of membership," Reuters reported from Ljubljana
on 23 March. Elsewhere, the EU Commission said in a statement that "in
these times of war, such a commitment to the European project, which is
devoted to peace, stability, and prosperity, has a special
significance." PM

[57] BOSNIAN ISLAMIC LEADERS SAY IRAQI CONFLICT IS NOT A RELIGIOUS ONE

The leaders of Bosnia's Islamic Community said in a statement in
Sarajevo on 20 March that while Muslims are obliged to show compassion
for their coreligionists throughout the world, the conflict in Iraq is
the result of regrettable developments in international relations and
is not a religious war, Fena news agency reported. The leaders warned
believers not to succumb to "possible provocations," adding that
Muslims bear a special responsibility in the current difficult times.
The religious leaders called for an end to the conflict and for the
protection of the lives of innocent people, particularly in Baghdad. PM

Meeting in Mostar on 22 March, the members of Bosnia's three-member
Presidency and the cabinet approved a document calling on all
government institutions to take appropriate measures to ensure
stability and security in conjunction with the war in Iraq, RFE/RL's
South Slavic and Albanian Languages Service reported. Elsewhere,
Bosnian officials arrested one Iraqi national in Sarajevo and a second
one in Bihac, dpa reported. The two are suspected of posing an
unspecified threat to Western diplomatic institutions. And in Sarajevo,
some 400 people held an anti-American demonstration, which was led by a
young local filmmaker (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 18 February 2003). Some
protesters burned a U.S. flag and called on President George W. Bush to
"commit suicide." PM

In Prishtina on 21 March, some 400 Kosovars demonstrated in favor of
the U.S.-led war effort in Iraq, AP reported. Protest organizer Sadik
Halitjaha stressed that "this is not a fight against Islam...but [one]
for the freedom of the Iraqi people." Demonstrators carried signs
reading "Freedom has no borders" and "Lead the way, U.S.A." Many
Kosovars remain deeply grateful to the United States for leading the
NATO campaign against Serbian repression in Kosova in 1999 (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 11 February 2003). PM

Prime Minister Bajram Rexhepi wrote in the "The Washington Post" of 19
March that "in our hour of need [in 1999], the United States, Britain,
[and their allies] took on [Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic] and
liberated a nation." Rexhepi stressed that "we Kosovars know firsthand
that peace is not simply the absence of war." He added that "wherever
men are denied freedom, there is a threat to peace.... Whenever we fail
to act in the face of evil, a shadow is cast across the future of
humanity." Rexhepi noted that for years prior to the NATO intervention
in Kosova, the international community talked "while our villages
burned." He stressed that "we Kosovars stand with the forces of
freedom.... We stand with you, America. We are here to tell you that
your sacrifices for the cause of human freedom are remembered." PM

[61] ALBANIAN PRIME MINSTER IS 'PROUD TO STAND WITH THE UNITED STATES'

Fatos Nano said in a statement in Tirana on 20 March that "as a new
democracy, Albania is proud to stand with the United States, the United
Kingdom, and others in the coalition of the willing to rid Iraq of the
weapons of mass destruction and bring about freedom to the
long-suffering Iraqi people." Nano added that "we Albanians are a
nation of freedom fighters who know something about living under
oppression." He stressed that he expects that Albanian commandos will
perform well in the Iraqi conflict, adding, "We are proud to have
pledged our unconditional support in terms of additional troops, ports,
bases, and airfields." The prime minister hailed the United States as
the "only country in the world that exports freedom." He noted that "it
brought freedom to Japan and Germany after defeating both in World War
II. It rebuilt their societies and taught them about liberty. It helped
bring down the Berlin Wall, hastening the process of freedom in Central
and Eastern Europe. It rarely asked anything in return." Nano concluded
that "we are proud to be in the company of the free." PM

Judge Ika Saric announced in Rijeka on 24 March that his court has
sentenced General Mirko Norac to 12 years in jail for the killing of at
least 50 Serbian civilians in the Gospic area in 1991, Reuters
reported. A second defendant, Tihomir Oreskovic, received a 15-year
sentence, while a third man will spend 10 years in jail. A fourth
defendant was acquitted. The sentencing of Norac, whom many Croats
regard as a war hero, is the highest-profile war crimes trial in that
country to date. The Hague-based tribunal allowed Croatia to try Norac
itself rather than extradite him to the tribunal and has monitored the
trial closely. PM

The Interior Ministry announced on 22 March that its investigations
into the activities of the "Zemun clan" have revealed a network of
prisons and torture chambers hidden primarily in private weekend homes
and cottages in various parts of Serbia, "Vesti" reported (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 21 March 2003). The criminals are believed to have used the
private homes in conjunction with numerous kidnappings and killings in
recent years. Observers note, however, that the investigations and the
detention of hundreds of people have yet to lead to the arrest of the
most important persons wanted in conjunction with Djindjic's killing or
to solving of any of the many high-level political abductions or
murders, such as the disappearance of former Serbian President Ivan
Stambolic shortly before the fall of Milosevic in 2000. PM

Montenegrin Igor Luksic, who is deputy foreign minister of Serbia and
Montenegro, said in Podgorica on 22 March that his small republic does
not have the "ambition or the money" to demand as many ambassadorial
posts as Serbia will have in representing the new state abroad,
RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian Languages Service reported. Luksic
added, however, that Montenegro will insist on being "actively
represented" in the world's most important capitals. PM

The parliament on 21 March adopted proposed amendments to the law on
travel documents, which stipulate that ethnic Albanians can apply for
passports that use the Albanian language on the cover, "Dnevnik"
reported. During the parliamentary debate, the opposition Internal
Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (VMRO-DPMNE) said it made a
similar proposal 10 months ago, but that the now-governing Social
Democrats voted against it. The opposition Democratic Party of the
Albanians (PDSH) demanded that the passports of all Macedonian citizens
include inscriptions in the Albanian, Macedonian, and English languages
on their covers. The Democratic Movement of Turks, for its part, said
the amendments discriminate against the smaller ethnic minorities (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 20, 21, 24, 26, and 27 June and 15 July 2002, and 30
January, 27 February, and 14 and 18 March 2003). UB

Foreign Ministry spokesman Cosmin Dobran on 22 March said a U.S.
request to close down the Iraqi Embassy in Bucharest is "still under
consideration" and no decision has yet been made, Reuters reported. The
United States on 20 March made the request worldwide, and on 21 March
the State Department thanked Romania and Australia for heeding it. A
Foreign Ministry spokesman cited by the private Antena 1 television
channel said on 22 March, in what might be an allusion to Bucharest's
position, that Romania "is not at war with Iraq" and "backs that
country's territorial integrity." For these reasons, the spokesman
said, Romania will be involved in Iraq only in "humanitarian and
[postwar] reconstruction activities." Mediafax on 24 March cited
Interior Ministry official Aurel Neagu as saying that Romania can
accommodate 1,000 refugees from Iraq, but hopes there will not be a
significant wave of refugees from that country. MS

The ruling Social-Democratic Party (PSD) in a 22 March press release
criticized the no-confidence motion submitted by the three
parliamentary opposition parties after the government's "assumption of
responsibility" on a package of laws on combating corruption, RFE/RL's
Bucharest bureau reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 21 March 2003). The
PSD said that "two so-called democratic parties, the National Liberal
Party (PNL) and the Democratic Party, are following on the path of the
extremist Greater Romania Party." It is alarming, the PSD said, that
the PNL and the Democrats are adopting the extremism, verbal violence,
insult, calumny, and personal attacks that are the characteristic
discourse of the PRM. The PNL responded the same day that the PSD is
merely attempting to deflect attention from the essence of the problem,
which rests in the inadequacy of the proposed legislation. MS

The PNL Permanent Delegation on 21 March approved the merger of the PNL
with the extraparliamentary Union of Rightist Forces (UFD), Mediafax
reported. The merger congress is to take place on 19 April. Meanwhile,
several UFD local branches continue to oppose the move and to work
toward a merger with former President Emil Constantinescu's Popular
Action (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 17 March 2003). MS

The separatist authorities in the Transdniester on 21 March announced
they are banning the entry of 14 Moldovan officials, including
President Vladimir Voronin, his son Oleg, Premier Vasile Tarlev,
Foreign Minister Nicolae Dudau, and parliamentary speaker Evgenia
Ostapciuc, RFE/RL's Chisinau bureau and international news agencies
reported. The move is an obvious retaliation to the U.S.-EU travel ban
imposed on 27 February Transdniester officials (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
28 February 2003). A statement released in Tiraspol said that "using
propaganda rhetoric as cover, Moldova constantly appeals to the world
community to apply sanctions against Transdniester," which proves that
Chisinau is not interested in establishing harmonious relations with
the separatist region. The statement said the decision might be revised
if Moldova revokes its appeal to foreign countries to impose sanctions
on the separatist region. Russian Foreign Ministry official Aleksandr
Yakovenko said the decision will not be helpful in "building mutual
understanding between Tiraspol and Chisinau." He added that that Russia
has expressed the same position on the ban imposed by the U.S. and EU
on Tiraspol officials' travel, ITAR-TASS reported. MS

Presidential spokesman Valeriu Renita said in Chisinau that the
"Tiraspol leaders have forced themselves into a corner from which they
will find it difficult to get out," Infotag reported. He said they will
"have to explain to the international mediators" a decision that "does
not in the least promote progress in the ongoing negotiations." Renita
added that it is "strange" that the ban comes right after the recent
visit to Chisinau and Tiraspol by Russian First Deputy Foreign Minister
Vyacheslav Trubnikov, who he said has praised "Tiraspol's constructive
position." Premier Tarlev called the move "a provocative game by
separatist leader Igor Smirnov and those who influence him."
Reintegration Minister Vasilii Sova said the move was aimed at stopping
the negotiation process, Flux reported on 22 March. MS

Democratic Party Chairman Dumitru Diacov, who is a former parliamentary
speaker, on 21 March called on the Prosecutor General's Office to
initiate proceedings against the daily "Flux," which is owned by
Popular Party Christian Democratic Chairman Iurie Rosca, according to a
Flux news agency report. Diacov, whose daughter is married to former
Lebanese Honorary Consul in Chisinau Mahmud Ahmad Hammud, who was
expelled from Moldova last year, says that by publishing an article
alleging Hammud was involved in the selling of Strela mobile
antiaircraft rockets to Hizballah terrorists in Lebanon, the daily
inflicted "serious damage to Moldova's international image" (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 20 March 2003). Diacov said the allegation lacks any
proof and infringes on the authority of Moldova's police force. MS

President Voronin on 20 March signed into law the bill approved by the
parliament earlier this month on Teleradio Moldova, Flux reported the
next day (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 14 March 2003). Meanwhile, the
broadcasts of Romanian Television's Channel 1 were resumed in Moldova
on 21 March, after an interruption of more than eight months and
prolonged negotiations with the Romanian authorities on ways to finance
the broadcasts. Finally, Premier Tarlev was quoted by Flux as saying on
Moldovan Television on 22 March that the Chisinau local radio station
Antena C has a "reactionary position" aimed at "destroying the Moldovan
state," and that the country's leadership "cannot remain indifferent"
to that position. Tarlev said radio and television stations that have
violated the constitution or current legislation must be disciplined.
MS

[73] BULGARIAN TOP BRASS CRITICIZES DECISION TO SET UP INFORMATION
CENTER ON IRAQ CRISIS

Army Chief of General Staff General Nikola Kolev on 21 March criticized
the government's decision to set up a special coordination body that is
to collect and assess all available information about the developments
in Iraq and their impact on Bulgaria's national security, mediapool.bg
reported. "I was astonished to see over the past two days how many
experts for national security and armed forces there are, and I hope
that they do not hide when there is a threat for Bulgaria," Kolev said.
"Now that there is no danger, as we said, all of a sudden some crisis
centers appear -- which I do not know what they are doing, given that
there are state structures that do [the same thing] and which get paid
for it." Foreign Ministry spokesman Lyubomir Ivanov, who is a member of
the new body, defended its existence by citing the political necessity
to coordinate public statements made by state institutions (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 18 March 2003). Kolev also said the Bulgarian military
cannot deploy troops other than the promised anti-nuclear, -biological,
and -chemical (NBC) unit, citing the lack of interoperability between
the Soviet-equipped Bulgarian military and the coalition forces (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 21 March 2003). UB

[74] BULGARIAN GOVERNMENT CONSIDERS U.S. REQUEST TO EXPEL IRAQI
DIPLOMATS

Foreign Ministry spokesman Lyubomir Ivanov said on 22 March the
government is still considering the U.S. request to expel Iraqi
diplomats, BTA reported. According to Ivanov, the Foreign Ministry has
asked the U.S. administration for more information and will assess the
legal aspects of such a move (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 6 and 7 March
2003). UB

Chief Mufti Selim Mehmed, who heads the Sunni Muslim community in
Bulgaria, said on 21 March that the war on Iraq is based on political
and not religious factors, bnn reported. "The war in Iraq is not a war
between Islam and Christianity, it is not a clash of civilizations but
a military solution to the conflict between the regime of Saddam
Hussein and the democratic coalition in which Bulgaria takes part,"
Mehmed said, adding that he hopes the hostilities end soon. He pledged
that the Bulgarian Muslim community will take measures to prevent its
mosques from being used as a refuge for terrorists. UB

The state Privatization Agency on 21 March signed an agreement with the
Vienna-based Viva Ventures, a daughter company of the U.S.-based Advent
International investment fund, on the privatization of the state
Bulgarian Telecommunications Company (BTK), mediapool.bg reported. Viva
Ventures will pay some $230 million for 65 percent of the company's
shares. It also undertook to invest some $420 million over the next
five years. The new owners are planning reduce the total number of
25,000 employees by 6,500 over the next four years (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 22 January and 5 March 2003). UB

Iraq Satellite Television and international media carried footage of
Iraqi President Saddam Hussein addressing the Iraqi people and military
personnel on 24 March. It was unclear whether the speech was live or
prerecorded. Although Hussein speaks about the current war and appears
to make references in his speech to key battle areas, there are no
explicit references that verify his appearance was current. Hussein
said the United States and Britain "have daily tried to undermine
[Iraqi] responsiveness with new pretexts since the cease-fire in 1991
and up to the war that has started now once again, on a broad scale,
not to mention the embargo." He also referred to a ground invasion,
saying the "battles" were unlike those conducted in 1991, when
coalition forces placed more reliance on air attacks. "Wherever they
conducted an incursion into our territories, leaving the desert behind
them, they are embroiled. They will find Iraqis surrounding them,
directing their gunfire at them." Heavy on religious rhetoric, Hussein
repeatedly said the Iraqi people will "achieve a clear and final
victory" based on their reliance on God. KR

The Iraqi Armed Forces General Command issues its fourth communique
since the launch of hostilities in Iraq on 20 March, claiming that
Saddam Fedayeen paramilitary forces have shot down six coalition
fighter planes and two helicopter gunships, according to an Iraq
Satellite Television broadcast of 23 March. Iraqi military spokesman
Staff Major General Hazim al-Rawi read the communique. According to the
statement, five planes were downed in the Al-Shu'lah, Al-Radwaniyah,
Aqarquf, and Al-Taji areas of Baghdad; one fighter plane was hit in the
Basra Governorate; and two helicopter gunships were downed -- one in
the Al-Ba'aj area of the Ninawah Governorate and another in the
Al-Samawah area of the Muthanna Governorate. The communique also
claimed that the Saddam Fedayeen "surprised the enemy behind its lines"
and destroyed four enemy tanks. The communique alleged that Iraqi
forces killed 25 coalition soldiers on the outskirts of the city of
Al-Nasiriyah and destroyed 13 coalition tanks and armored personnel
carriers (APCs), as well as five tank carriers and six vehicles. KR

Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan criticized UN Secretary-General Kofi
Annan during a Baghdad press conference on 23 March, Al-Jazeera
reported. Ramadan accused Annan of doing the bidding of the United
States and Britain by withdrawing UN Iraq-Kuwait Observation Mission
(UNIKOM) observers from the Iraq-Kuwait border on 17-18 March, as well
as UN Monitoring, Verification, and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC)
inspectors from Iraq on 18 March. "With his behavior, the UN
secretary-general has not acted within the spirit and atmosphere
prevailing over the UN Security Council or what most of the UN Security
Council believes. He acts as if he is an employee of the U.S. State
Department," Ramadan said. The Iraqi vice president also criticized
Annan for a proposal the latter presented, and which the UN Security
Council began considering on 22 March, that includes the appointment of
Annan as administrator of the UN oil-for-food program (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 22 March 2003). Regarding the move, Ramadan said Annan,
"started to act in a way that contradicts all laws, norms, and charters
of the organization of which he is secretary-general." KR

Iraq Television carried footage of a downed U.S. Apache helicopter on
24 March. Iraqi Information Minister Muhammad Sa'id al-Sahhaf claimed
at a 24 March news conference that "a small number of peasants downed
two Apache helicopters" near the city of Kerbala, which is
approximately 110 kilometers southwest of Baghdad, Al-Jazeera reported.
Just one helicopter has been shown in footage from the scene. The
pilots were not present in those pictures, but al-Sahhaf said, "Perhaps
if we find the circumstances useful, we will show pictures of the
pilots of this Apache." An unnamed U.S. Defense Department official has
confirmed that one U.S. Apache Longbow helicopter was down and its crew
deemed missing, Reuters and other news agencies reported on 24 March.
KR

Iraqi Information Minister Muhammad Sa'id al-Sahhaf told a press
conference on 24 March that Iraq will abide by the Geneva Convention
regarding prisoners of war, Al-Jazeera reported. Al-Sahhaf said the
decision was made to do so despite images of Iraqi prisoners of war
(POWs) shown in the Western press in recent days. "We completely abide
by the Geneva Convention. It is they [coalition forces] who should
abide by it," al-Sahhaf said, adding, "They showed footage of Iraqi
civilians and lied to us by saying that they are members of the Iraqi
Army and that they are Iraqi soldiers.... As a matter of fact, they
treated Iraqi civilians very badly. They aimed their weapons at the
Iraqi civilians' heads and threatened to open fire on them." Al-Sahhaf
claimed the images of coalition captives broadcast on Iraqi television
were an interview by local reporters. "What the television showed was
not an investigation. There were local reporters in Dhi Qar, including
the Iraqi TV correspondent. Iraqi TV's general channel, as shown by the
logo, was there and they asked the POWs what cities they came from and
so forth," al-Sahhaf said. He accused U.S. officials of "shedding
crocodile tears" over the broadcast. KR

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) warned on 24 March
that the Iraqi government and coalition forces are not allowed to
broadcast images of prisoners of war under the Geneva Conventions,
Reuters reported. "The Geneva Convention completely prohibits
publishing pictures of prisoners of war, as has been happening," ICRC
spokeswoman Tamara al-Rifai said. "It applies to all parties.... All
the parties involved in this war were signatories." ICRC spokeswoman
Nada Doumani criticized Al-Jazeera on 23 March for violating Article 13
of the Geneva Convention regarding the protection of prisoners of war,
AFP reported the same day. Article 13 states that "prisoners of war
must at all times be protected, particularly against acts of violence
or intimidation, and against insults and public curiosity," Doumani
said. "The responsibility for the Geneva Convention is a state's
responsibility, it's not a journalist's responsibility. Concerning the
journalists, it's a question of ethics," Doumani added. KR

The ICRC on 24 March requested the restoration of water supplies to the
city of Al-Basrah following their destruction by coalition air strikes,
AFP reported the same day. "The situation remains critical, as the
provisional water distribution networks only partially and temporarily
cover the needs of 1.2 million residents of Al-Basrah," spokeswoman
Doumani reportedly told AFP. The ICRC was seeking access to Al-Basrah's
main water station, Wafa' Al-Qaid, which is located north of the city,
AFP reported. KR

"The Jerusalem Post" on 24 March reported that the U.S. Army 3rd
Infantry Division on 23 March captured an installation near Najaf, 150
kilometers south of Baghdad, that "apparently used to produce chemical
weapons." The deputy commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM),
Lieutenant General Johan Abizaid, declined to confirm the report, but
was quoted by the newspaper as saying the United States has "one or two
general officers who are providing" information in custody. The Israeli
daily said unidentified U.S. officials "have since confirmed that the
site is indeed a suspected chemical-weapons factory." There are no
reports of U.S.-led forces in Iraq having captured sites related to
Iraq's alleged weapons-of-mass-destruction (WMD) programs, but the
majority of Iraqi WMD programs in the past were concentrated around
Baghdad. AT

Amid conflicting reports about whether his country had dispatched
troops across the border into northern Iraq, Turkish Prime Minister
Tayyip Erdogan said on 23 March that Ankara's plans to send additional
troops into the area would provide stability, Reuters reported. In a
televised address one day after widespread reports that as many as
1,500 Turkish soldiers had already crossed the border (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 22 March 2003), Erdogan said, "The presence of Turkish
soldiers in the region will be an element of security and stability for
Turkey and the region." Turkish officials on 22 March denied reports of
the incursion into northern Iraq, where Kurdish distrust of Ankara runs
high and Kurdish groups were reportedly preparing to take up arms as
the U.S.-led Operation Iraqi Freedom continues (see item above). But AP
quoted Turkish government spokesman Cemil Cicek as saying after a
cabinet meeting on 24 March that "Turkey is in Iraq, and will be in
Iraq [because of] humanitarian aims and terrorist concerns," according
the a report in "The New York Times." AH

A special U.S. envoy was headed to Turkey on 24 March to discuss
Ankara's possible troop movements into northern Iraq, AP reported.
Zalmay Khalilzad, accompanied by U.S. Ambassador Robert Pearson and
U.S. military officials, met with Ali Tuygan, a deputy undersecretary
in Turkey's Foreign Ministry, the agency reported the same day. "We're
making it very clear that we expect them [Turkey] not to come into
northern Iraq," President George W. Bush said on 23 March, according to
AP. "They know our policy." Turkey's ambassador to Washington, Faruk
Lologlu, said on 23 March that he believes an agreement will come "in a
few days," as local Turkish media speculated that the U.S. is seeking
limits on the timing and size of any such incursion, AP added. AH

The Greek EU Presidency on 23 March joined a growing chorus of voices
urging Turkey to respect Iraq's northern border, Reuters reported. The
Greek Presidency said Ankara should stay out of northern Iraq to
"prevent the crisis in the region from deepening," the agency said.
Germany on 22 March threatened to withdraw its crews from NATO
surveillance aircraft patrolling Turkish skies if Ankara becomes a
belligerent in northern Iraq, Reuters reported, highlighting the rift
that the conflict in Iraq has created within the Atlantic alliance. "If
Turkey itself becomes a participant in the war, that would be a new
situation that would lead to the withdrawal of German soldiers from the
AWACS aircraft over Turkey," German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer,
who has been a staunch opponent of military intervention in Iraq, said.
"We will not participate in a war." German Defense Minister Peter
Struck added, "If Turkey becomes an active war participant then our
[NATO] alliance requirements will be no longer valid." AH

Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and Islamic Movement of Iraqi
Kurdistan (IMIK) forces are preparing to attack Ansar al-Islam
positions in northern Iraq, IMIK spokesman Haj Balal Suleiman told IRNA
on 24 March. The specific targets are reportedly in Sirwan, Seyyed
Sadeq, and Halabja, which have served as buffer zones between the PUK,
the IMIK, and Ansar al-Islam. Coalition forces hit Ansar al-Islam
positions with missiles on 21-22 March, AP reported (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 22 March 2003), and the PUK said on 22 March that it fired
rockets at Ansar al-Islam positions. Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign
Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi on 24 March said a television
report that Iran has assisted the Ansar al-Islam organization is a
"baseless and sheer lie," IRNA reported. Assefi said Tehran sees Ansar
al-Islam as an extremist group and has no links with it. BS

Iranian Interior Minister Hojatoleslam Abdolvahed Musavi-Lari on 23
March said a missile that landed in Iranian territory was "probably
Iraqi-built," the official Iranian news agency IRNA reported. "Expert
studies indicate that the missile that landed in Sardasht region was
probably Iraqi-built," IRNA quoted the interior minister as saying. The
Iranian Foreign Ministry subsequently summoned the Iraqi charge
d'affaires in connection with the incident. Iranian officials had
claimed that U.S. missiles landed on Iranian territory on 21 and 22
March, and on 21 March the Iranian Foreign Ministry summoned diplomats
representing the United States and the United Kingdom to hear a formal
complaint. U.S. State Department deputy spokesman Phillip Reeker said
later on 22 March, "We responded last night through the Swiss channel,
saying that we take this seriously and will look into it," Reuters
reported. "Today, we are sending a second message through the Swiss
confirming that we are looking into it," Reeker said. "We take
seriously Iranian sovereignty and territorial integrity." Iranian
officials privately conceded at the time that the missiles could be
Iraqi ones fired at U.S. aircraft, Reuters reported. "Given the
disposition of forces, it's most likely that this incident was the
result of Iraqi action; that's currently the situation," a British
Defense Ministry spokeswoman told AFP on 23 March. BS

IRNA reported that a missile caused an explosion near Khorramshahr at
3:55 p.m. local time on 22 March. Bahram Nasrollahi, the first deputy
of Kurdistan Province's Iraqi Crisis Headquarters, said on 22 March
that reports of the village of Alut near Baneh city being hit by three
missiles are inaccurate, and Baneh city Governor Ali Falegari said the
report relates to the missile in Sardasht (see item above), IRNA
reported on 23 March. An Interior Ministry official said in the evening
of 22 March that the report of a missile near Khorramshahr is
inaccurate and explained that, because Abadan, Khorramshahr, and
Sardasht are near Iraq, explosions there can be felt in the Iranian
cities, ISNA reported. BS

Khuzestan Province Governor-General Fatollah Moin said during a 23
March visit to his southwestern province's border with Iraq that "the
security situation on Iran's border with Iraq in this province is
good," IRNA reported. He added that locals are concerned about the war
in Iraq but are going about their normal business, and, furthermore,
many people are visiting the province for the Norouz (Iranian new year)
holiday. In Tehran, meanwhile, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
attended a 22 March meeting of the Supreme National Security Council
that was headed by President Hojatoleslam Mohammad Khatami, according
to IRNA. Khatami and SNSC Secretary Hassan Rohani discussed government
policies on and preparations regarding the Iraq crisis. Interior
Minister Abdolvahed Musavi-Lari described his ministry's activities,
and "senior military commanders" reported on the status of the armed
forces. Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi and Minister of Intelligence
and Security Hojatoleslam Ali Yunesi reported on regional political and
security developments. Khamenei thanked everyone for taking steps to
guarantee national security. BS

Iran's Council for Coordination of Islamic Propagation announced on 24
March that the 28 March Friday prayers will be followed with an antiwar
demonstration that is meant to "condemn America and Britain's
aggression and to express support for the Muslim nation of Iraq,"
Iranian state radio reported. A telephone poll of Tehran residents
conducted by ISNA on 23 March found that 86 percent of respondents
condemned the allied attack on Iraq, 97 percent of respondents
condemned attacks on Shia holy sites in Iraq, and 78 percent of
respondents condemned Iraqi President Hussein. Moreover, 84 percent of
respondents said they believe Iran should continue its current policy
of neutrality and noncooperation with the United States. ISNA did not
report how many people participated in the poll. BS

"Closely informed Lebanese and Iraqi Shia sources" said in the 23 March
issue of Manama's "Akhbar al-Khalij" that Iraqi Shia refuse to take
power by relying on the United States, which is why they have not
staged an antigovernment uprising in southern Iraq. Iraqi Shia who are
inclined toward Lebanese Hizballah leader Hassan Nasrallah are
preparing for armed resistance against a U.S. occupation, according to
the Bahraini publication. Other anonymous sources close to the Iraqi
Muslim Brotherhood, according to "Akhbar al-Khalij," say that Sunni
Islamists are prepared to join with the Shia in their resistance. BS

Russia's ambassador to the United States, Yurii Ushakov, was summoned
on 24 March to the U.S. State Department to receive an official protest
alleging that Russia allowed illegal transfers of military equipment to
Iraq in violation of UN-imposed economic sanctions, Russian and Western
media reported. According to the reports, the equipment in question
includes night-vision goggles, antitank rockets, and electronic jamming
equipment. The U.S. protest specifically accused the Russian company
Aviakonversiya of involvement. Aviakonversiya General Director Oleg
Antonov admitted that Iraq had requested such equipment from his
company, but denied that it had been supplied, Ekho Moskvy reported on
24 March. He also told the radio station that his company has always
strictly complied with the sanctions against Iraq, but he added that it
is possible Iraq produced such equipment independently or with the help
of individuals or firms in the former Yugoslavia. VY

The Russian Foreign Ministry on 22 March handed U.S. Ambassador to
Russia Alexander Vershbow an official note of protest over alleged
reconnaissance flights by U.S. U-2 aircraft near the borders of the
Russian Federation, newsru.com reported on 24 March. The ministry
alleges that the flights are originating in Georgia and, according to
the Russian note, "can hardly serve the interests of the fight against
international terrorism." They "are reminiscent of the Cold War," the
note charges. VY

The local stations of Russian military intelligence (GRU) and the
Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) in Iraq have been on special alert
status since the onset of the U.S.-led military operation against the
Hussein regime, "Nezavisimaya gazeta" reported on 21 March. They have
been issuing bulletins to Russia's political leadership on a constant,
rolling basis, according to the report. Russia's intelligence agencies
have also activated their resources globally in order to monitor the
military operation, the international situation, and U.S. and British
plans for post-Hussein Iraq. TVS on 20 Marsh quoted Igor Morozov, a
former Soviet foreign-intelligence officer in Baghdad during the 1980s,
as saying that Russia has very powerful intelligence assets in Iraq,
including within its military commands, its political leadership, and
its security services. VY

Igor Ivanov said on 21 March that the U.S. decision to confiscate the
assets of Iraqi President Hussein's regime is extremely worrying,
Russian media reported. Ivanov was speaking in Moscow to a session of
the Council for Defense and Foreign Policy. "It could mean that after
this is done, it will be announced that all previous treaties and
contracts with Iraq are invalid, and we will lose our economic
interests in the country," Ivanov said. He also expressed related
concerns over Washington's efforts to persuade foreign countries to
expel Iraqi diplomats. Ivanov also called for restoring the United
Nations' leading role in international affairs and repeated Moscow's
call for expanding the UN Security Council to include India and one new
permanent member each from Latin America, Africa, and Asia. VY

More than 2,000 people led by the pro-Kremlin youth movement Walking
Together held a rally on 22 March in front of the Moscow residence of
U.S. Ambassador to Russia Vershbow against U.S.-led military action
against the regime of Iraqi President Hussein, Interfax reported. The
activists brought cans of oil so that "Americans won't be freezing in
their homes" and "cars won't be abandoned on the streets of New York
because of empty gas tanks," movement leader Vasilii Yakemenko
explained, according to the news agency. Other antiwar rallies were
held in front of the U.S. Embassy on 20 and 21 March. On 20 March, a
small protest was held outside the U.S. Consulate in Yekaterinburg. On
21 March, an unspecified number of members of Unified Russia's youth
movement held a protest outside the U.S. Consulate in St. Petersburg,
regions.ru reported. In Nizhnii Novgorod on 23 March, around 50 people
-- most of them members of an antiglobalist youth group and a Communist
youth movement -- protested in front of a McDonald's restaurant in one
of the city's main squares, "Kommersant-Daily" reported. JAC

Jordan has expelled five Iraqi diplomats working at the Iraqi Embassy
in Amman, Jordan News Agency reported on 23 March. The expulsion was
"for security reasons," and Jordan accused the Iraqis of "performing
actions that contradict the nature of their work as diplomats," the
agency reported. Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri called the expulsion
an "unfortunate measure," Al-Jazeera reported on 24 March. The
Philippines expelled two Iraqi diplomats, according to President Gloria
Arroyo, amid allegations of espionage, "The Philippine Star" reported
on 24 March. Meanwhile, Lebanese Foreign and Expatriate Affairs
Minister Mahmud Hammud rejected a U.S. request to expel Iraqi
diplomats, "Al-Safir" reported on 23 March. "Lebanon is a sovereign
country that decides for itself and by itself its international
relations based on international laws and conventions, including the
1961 Vienna treaty on diplomatic relations," Hammud said. KR

[100] HUNGARY REJECTS U.S. REQUEST TO CLOSE IRAQI EMBASSY

Hungary has rejected a Washington request that it shut down the Iraqi
Embassy in Budapest, Foreign Minister Laszlo Kovacs told Hungarian
television on 22 March. Kovacs said he sees no reason to expel Iraqi
diplomats from Hungary, noting that such a move would terminate
diplomatic relations with Iraq. Hungary is not at war with Iraq and is
not participating in military operations aimed at implementing UN
resolutions relating to Iraq, Kovacs quoted a ministry statement as
saying. He said it is in Hungary's interest to forge close relations
with a new Iraqi leadership that has no weapons of mass destruction and
that will embark on a path to democracy and economic progress. Kovacs
also recalled Hungary's expulsion last week of two Iraqi diplomats for
allegedly engaging in activities incompatible with their diplomatic
status. MSZ

[101] ROMANIA 'CONSIDERING' U.S. REQUEST TO CLOSE DOWN IRAQI EMBASSY

Foreign Ministry spokesman Cosmin Dobran on 22 March said a U.S.
request to close down the Iraqi Embassy in Bucharest is "still under
consideration" and no decision has yet been made, Reuters reported. The
United States on 20 March made the request worldwide, and on 21 March
the State Department thanked Romania and Australia for heeding it. A
Foreign Ministry spokesman cited by the private Antena 1 television
channel said on 22 March, in what might be an allusion to Bucharest's
position, that Romania "is not at war with Iraq" and "backs that
country's territorial integrity." For these reasons, the spokesman
said, Romania will be involved in Iraq only in "humanitarian and
[postwar] reconstruction activities." Mediafax on 24 March cited
Interior Ministry official Aurel Neagu as saying that Romania can
accommodate 1,000 refugees from Iraq, but hopes there will not be a
significant wave of refugees from that country. MS

[102] BULGARIAN GOVERNMENT CONSIDERS U.S. REQUEST TO EXPEL IRAQI
DIPLOMATS

Foreign Ministry spokesman Lyubomir Ivanov said on 22 March the
government is still considering the U.S. request to expel Iraqi
diplomats, BTA reported. According to Ivanov, the Foreign Ministry has
asked the U.S. administration for more information and will assess the
legal aspects of such a move (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 6 and 7 March
2003). UB

[103] BULGARIA'S MUSLIM LEADER SAYS WAR ON IRAQ HAS NO RELIGIOUS BASIS

Chief Mufti Selim Mehmed, who heads the Sunni Muslim community in
Bulgaria, said on 21 March that the war on Iraq is based on political
and not religious factors, bnn reported. "The war in Iraq is not a war
between Islam and Christianity, it is not a clash of civilizations but
a military solution to the conflict between the regime of Saddam
Hussein and the democratic coalition in which Bulgaria takes part,"
Mehmed said, adding that he hopes the hostilities end soon. He pledged
that the Bulgarian Muslim community will take measures to prevent its
mosques from being used as a refuge for terrorists. UB

[104] CZECH PREMIER SAYS POSTWAR IRAQ SHOULD BE ADMINISTERED BY UN

Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla told journalists in Brussels on 21 March
that the main role in Iraq's postwar reconstruction should be played by
the United Nations, CTK reported. Spidla was attending a summit of
leaders from EU members and candidates that dealt, among other things,
with the Iraq crisis. Iraq "cannot be placed under the rule of any one
power or minor coalition," he said. Spidla also said the Czech Republic
has not in any way responded to the U.S. call to close down Iraqi
diplomatic offices. "The Czech Republic is independent in this matter
and will make its own independent decision," CTK quoted him as saying.
MS

[105] AFGHAN PRESIDENT POSTPONES TRIP TO PAKISTAN DUE TO IRAQ WAR

Afghan Transitional Administration head Hamid Karzai canceled a planned
trip to Islamabad at the last minute on 22 March, the BBC reported.
Karzai was scheduled to be the guest of honor at a Pakistan National
Day parade on 23 March. Karzai's spokesman, Sayyed Fazl Akbar, said the
trip was called off because of intensification of the war in Iraq.
Akbar told Hindukosh news agency on 23 March that Karzai and Pakistani
President Pervez Musharraf reached mutual agreement that the timing was
not right for the visit. Akbar said Karzai's personal security might
have been a factor in the cancellation of his trip. Afghanistan's
government has endorsed the U.S.-led war on Iraq (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 20 March 2003), although many Afghans remain opposed to it,
according to the BBC. AT

Criticizing the Afghan Transitional Administration for not having a
common strategy, the Kabul weekly "Edara" wrote on 23 March that while
the Afghan Foreign Ministry has supported the use of military force to
disarm Iraq (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 20 March 2003), Supreme Court Chief
Justice Fazl Hadi Shinwari has "criticized the U.S. invasion of Iraq,"
calling it a "brutal aggression against an Islamic country." Some
Afghans sense that "high-ranking authorities" of the transitional
government "have no common strategy in external" affairs, "Edara"
commented, adding that if "these contradictions and differences"
continue, Afghanistan will not be able to move toward prosperity. AT

[107] FIRST ANTIWAR DEMONSTRATIONS REPORTED IN AFGHANISTAN

Around 1,000 people staged an "anti-American and pro-Iraqi
demonstration" in the Laghman Province of eastern Afghanistan, the
Pakistan-based Afghan Islamic Press (AIP) reported. Demonstrators
chanted slogans criticizing the United States, the United Kingdom, and
Spain, but were prevented by local authorities from burning U.S. and
British flags, AIP reported. The Laghman rally was the first recorded
demonstration in Afghanistan against the war in Iraq. AT

[108] THREE AFGHAN PROVINCES PLACED ON HIGH ALERT DUE TO IRAQ WAR

Ismail Jaji, spokesman for the 3rd Battalion in Paktiya Province, said
on 23 March that the Paktika, Paktiya, and Khost provinces in
southeastern Afghanistan have been placed on high security alert to
prevent incidents that might occur because of the war in Iraq, Iran
radio's Mashhad-based Dari service reported. Southeastern Afghanistan
was one of the strongholds of Al-Qaeda and the Taliban, and has
continued to be a volatile region. AT

[109] TALIBAN CALL THE WAR IN IRAQ A 'CRUSADE' AND EXPRESS SOLIDARITY
WITH IRAQ

In the first statement to come from the Taliban since war began on 20
March, Taliban spokesman Mujahid Mulla Mohammad Mukhtar said in an
e-mail message on 24 March that the U.S.-led war on Iraq is a
"continuation of the recent Crusades that began with the U.S. military
intervention in Afghanistan in October 2001," the Pakistani daily "The
Nation" reported. Mukhtar urged Islamic countries to set their
differences aside and wage a jihad against the "the Crusaders,
including the U.S. and Britain." Most senior Taliban leaders who
escaped the U.S.-led military campaign to destroy the Al-Qaeda
terrorist network in Afghanistan are believed to be hiding in
Afghanistan or neighboring Pakistan. AT

[110] UKRAINIAN OFFICERS ARRIVE IN KUWAIT TO PREPARE FOR NBC UNIT

A group of 15 Ukrainian officers arrived in Kuwait on 22 March to
prepare the deployment of a Ukrainian anti-nuclear, -biological, and
-chemical (NBC) battalion, ITAR-TASS reported. The officers will
identify measures to be taken to ensure the safety of Kuwaitis and to
gather information about the sanitary and epidemiological situation in
the area, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry told the news agency. The NBC
battalion comprising 432 servicemen will be sent to Kuwait this week.
The battalion will stay in Kuwait for at least six months in accordance
with an agreement between the two countries. It will not participate in
combat actions and will only provide humanitarian aid. AM

[111] BOSNIAN ISLAMIC LEADERS SAY IRAQI CONFLICT IS NOT A RELIGIOUS ONE

The leaders of Bosnia's Islamic Community said in a statement in
Sarajevo on 20 March that while Muslims are obliged to show compassion
for their coreligionists throughout the world, the conflict in Iraq is
the result of regrettable developments in international relations and
is not a religious war, Fena news agency reported. The leaders warned
believers not to succumb to "possible provocations," adding that
Muslims bear a special responsibility in the current difficult times.
The religious leaders called for an end to the conflict and for the
protection of the lives of innocent people, particularly in Baghdad. PM

[112] KOSOVARS DEMONSTRATE IN SUPPORT OF THE WAR

In Prishtina on 21 March, some 400 Kosovars demonstrated in favor of
the U.S.-led war effort in Iraq, AP reported. Protest organizer Sadik
Halitjaha stressed that "this is not a fight against Islam...but [one]
for the freedom of the Iraqi people." Demonstrators carried signs
reading "Freedom has no borders" and "Lead the way, U.S.A." Many
Kosovars remain deeply grateful to the United States for leading the
NATO campaign against Serbian repression in Kosova in 1999 (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 11 February 2003). PM

[113] PRIME MINISTER SAYS KOSOVA 'STANDS WITH THE FORCES OF FREEDOM'

Prime Minister Bajram Rexhepi wrote in the "The Washington Post" of 19
March that "in our hour of need [in 1999], the United States, Britain,
[and their allies] took on [Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic] and
liberated a nation." Rexhepi stressed that "we Kosovars know firsthand
that peace is not simply the absence of war." He added that "wherever
men are denied freedom, there is a threat to peace.... Whenever we fail
to act in the face of evil, a shadow is cast across the future of
humanity." Rexhepi noted that for years prior to the NATO intervention
in Kosova, the international community talked "while our villages
burned." He stressed that "we Kosovars stand with the forces of
freedom.... We stand with you, America. We are here to tell you that
your sacrifices for the cause of human freedom are remembered." PM

[114] ALBANIAN PRIME MINISTER IS 'PROUD TO STAND WITH THE U.S.

' Fatos Nano said in a statement in Tirana on 20 March that "as a new
democracy, Albania is proud to stand with the United States, the United
Kingdom, and others in the coalition of the willing to rid Iraq of the
weapons of mass destruction and bring about freedom to the
long-suffering Iraqi people." Nano added that "we Albanians are a
nation of freedom fighters who know something about living under
oppression." He stressed that he expects that Albanian commandos will
perform well in the Iraqi conflict, adding, "We are proud to have
pledged our unconditional support in terms of additional troops, ports,
bases, and airfields." The prime minister hailed the United States as
the "only country in the world that exports freedom." He noted that "it
brought freedom to Japan and Germany after defeating both in World War
II. It rebuilt their societies and taught them about liberty. It helped
bring down the Berlin Wall, hastening the process of freedom in Central
and Eastern Europe. It rarely asked anything in return." Nano concluded
that "we are proud to be in the company of the free." PM

[115] U.S. TAKES SIX INTO CUSTODY IN KANDAHAR OPERATION

As part of Operation Valiant Strike, which commenced in Kandahar
Province on 19 March (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 20 March 2003), U.S. and
Romanian forces have captured six men, Radio Afghanistan reported on 23
March. The military operation, which has been called the largest
campaign in Afghanistan in a year, is designed to flush out Al-Qaeda
and Taliban supporters in southern Afghanistan. AT

[116] SIX DEAD IN U.S. CHOPPER CRASH IN AFGHANISTAN

Six U.S. servicemen onboard a U.S. Air Force HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter
died when their aircraft crashed in Ghazni Province on 23 March, the
BBC reported. According to U.S. Central Command, the helicopter was on
a "medical evacuation mission" and was not brought down by ground fire.
It is believed that the helicopter was participating in the ongoing
Operation Valiant Strike in Kandahar Province. AT

END NOTE

[117] THE PITFALLS OF BELARUS'S ECONOMIC INTEGRATION WITH RUSSIA

By Vital Silitski

Recent developments in Belarusian-Russian integration have made it
clear that both sides must still demonstrate that some meaningful
progress has been achieved on the road to forming a currency union and
privatizing Belarusian industries by Russian business groups.
Ironically, whenever any progress has been announced by one side, the
other side has cooled any initial optimism by announcing that no
breakthrough has, in fact, taken place.

Thus, Russian Finance Minister Aleksei Kudrin declared in an interview
with Ekho Moskvy radio in February that the two countries had reached
agreement on the creation of a single central bank for the currency
union, the operation of which would be transferred in full to the
Russian Central Bank. Such progress, however, was immediately renounced
by Pyotr Prakapovich, head of the National Bank of Belarus. Prakapovich
claimed the issue had only been "discussed" at a meeting of the
interbank council of Russia and Belarus in Yaroslavl and that Kudrin's
announcement expressed "his personal opinion."

Anatol Drazdou, a press secretary for the National Bank of Belarus,
used even stronger words: "We will never accept [Russian President
Vladimir] Putin's offer. The National Bank and the government are
strongly against it. We will wait [to find out] what politicians will
say." "Politicians" in Belarus means President Alyaksandr Lukashenka
and Lukashenka only. But the Belarusian president has never retreated
from his initial position, which is that the currency union should be
managed on equal terms by two sovereign states.

Likewise, the Belarusian side has claimed progress has been made in the
privatization of its petrochemical sector. Belarus's Economy Ministry
declared that arrangements have been made to sell the sector's leading
companies, including the refinery and Palimir conglomerate in
Navapolatsk, as well as the Hrodna-based Azot and Khimvalakno chemical
plants. Lukashenka signed the relevant decree allowing the
privatization of the industry on 13 February. The only companies to
express an interest in submitting bids were the Russian oil giants
Surgutneftegaz, Sidanko, Sibneft, and LUKoil.

It was later revealed, however, that the offer for privatization will
not allow investors to obtain full control immediately. Instead,
investors will be allowed to purchase a 10 percent stake each year for
four or five years, after which they would be allowed to purchase a
majority stake only if they have fulfilled their investment
obligations. Russian media reports have claimed that potential
investors are steadfastly opposed to this condition.

Moreover, it has been reported that intense negotiations concerning
additional conditions of the contracts are still under way. Such
conditions include prices -- for example, the cost of Palimir alone is
estimated at $1 billion, which is deemed too high by potential
investors -- and so-called social guarantees on the part of investors.
Minsk wants to prevent investors from laying off the workforce of
petrochemical plants being privatized during the entire period of the
transaction. Potential buyers have been pressing for the removal of
these conditions, which Minsk might find too costly to dump.

It is also worthwhile to mention in this context the controversy
surrounding the privatization of Belarusian industrial giants. As has
been the case with almost every aspect of the integration, progress in
this area depends heavily on whether the Russian authorities or
oligarchs are able to strike a political deal with Lukashenka and
assist him in his efforts to strengthen his hold on power and to extend
his term in office. While seeking support from powerful business
groups, however, Lukashenka has to confront the reality that profit
seeking is the primary motivation of every investor. Turning outdated
and obsolete Belarusian industrial giants into profit-making companies
would require not only substantial investment but also radical
restructuring, which could lead to massive layoffs and the end of the
extensive social infrastructure -- such as preschools, schools, and
recreational facilities -- financed by these enterprises.

Since the majority of such giant companies are "city forming" -- that
is, they provide employment and income for a majority of the population
in the city where they are located -- this could cause enormous social
dislocation throughout the country and generate public unrest, which
Lukashenka has so far managed to sidestep by maintaining full
employment and subsidizing loss-making enterprises. In his effort to
avoid this worst-case scenario, Lukashenka has tried to take Russian
companies hostage, indicating that their interests will be respected
only in return for their loyalty, as well as for their political and
financial support. His offer of a gradual sell-off of minority share
packages and a five-year period of proposed privatization in the
petrochemical sector means that only those oligarchs who support his
re-election and the extension of his term in office will have any
chance of eventually getting what they want.

This plan, however, has three pitfalls. The first is the lack of desire
on the part of Russian business groups de facto to pay generous
subsidies to the Belarusian industry for five years before they have
the chance to become its owners.

The second is a credibility problem. Lukashenka has a demonstrably poor
record of respecting contractual obligations. Two years ago, the
leading Russian brewery Baltika was invited to buy the Krynitsa brewery
in Minsk for $50 million according to the same scheme -- gradual
concession of control in return for investment. In the middle of the
process, when Baltika had already invested about $10 million in new
equipment in Krynitsa, the Belarusian government revoked the agreement
and announced that the deal would be possible only if Baltika agreed to
fulfill an additional set of conditions, including the development of
barley and hops production in Belarus and financing the construction of
a new hockey arena in Minsk. At that point, Baltika withdrew from
Belarus, losing its investment.

Given Lukashenka's record of dealing with investors, much larger
investment in Belarus will only be possible if political guarantees for
investment security are given to the Russian oligarchs by their own
government. But here comes the third pitfall. To grant such guarantees,
the Kremlin must make a decision about its commitment to support
Lukashenka's remaining in office at least until the end of this decade.
If such a commitment is not made, Lukashenka will be able to receive a
substantial Russian investment only if he withdraws his tough
conditions for privatization and thereby paves the way for the economic
and social processes that may seriously weaken his grip on power. His
only alternative would be either to acquiesce to the Russian version of
the union between the two countries that was proposed by Putin last
year --incorporation of Belarus by Russia -- or to agree to the
Kremlin's proposal of a monetary union in which the Russian Central
Bank will be the only body that will determine monetary policies.

Either of these options means a substantial weakening, or even the end
of Lukashenka's grip on power. Lukashenka will have a difficult time
indeed deciding which of these two evils is the lesser.

Vital Silitski is an associate professor at the Department of Economics
of European Humanities University in Minsk.